Trent Baalke to Return as 49ers GM: Latest Comments and Reaction

San Francisco 49ers CEO Jed York announced Monday general manager Trent Baalke will be retained.

"Trent Baalke will remain GM of 49ers," York said, per Bay Area News Group's Cam Inman. "[Trent] understands I'm not satisfied with current state of the team."

The 49ers struggled to a 5-11 record in their first season without head coach Jim Harbaugh. The team announced it fired Harbaugh's successor, Jim Tomsula, on Sunday, and Baalke will be instrumental in deciding who will lead the storied franchise next.

York added Baalke will be in charge of finding the new head coach, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, and he released a statement before he took the podium Monday, vowing to return the team to prominence:

Jed York @JedYork

Walking up to the podium now. Want to send this to the best fans in the NFL first https://t.co/UwASc41dWc

Baalke has done a commendable job building the Niners' roster, but he did make a massive investment in quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who was benched this season for lackluster performance. Instability under center and a questionable coaching hire in Tomsula left marks on Baalke's record.

San Francisco will have the No. 7 overall pick in the upcoming draft. The selection could be used on a potential franchise QB or perhaps a playmaker on defense after the Niners finished 29th in yards allowed.

The sudden retirements of linebackers Patrick Willis and Chris Borland, along with offensive tackle Anthony Davis, set San Francisco back before the 2015 campaign began. It's critical for Baalke to find a viable long-term coach and nail the upcoming draft to ensure he'll be in his post beyond 2016.